A Love of the Classics
A few months before Christmas my DVD player finally (after much sterling service) gave up the ghost and died. This wasn’t a huge issue for movie watching as I was already watching DVDs on my computer, but it did stop me listening to my music on CD (yes, I’m old and like physical things). So, as a temporary measure I fished out an old pocket radio and listened to that for a while. That wasn’t great for a host of reasons, so I went looking for something better – which I found hiding under a pile of other stuff I never got around to throwing out – a BIG radio I’d bought YEARS ago which covered Long Wave, Short Wave, Medium Wave & FM. Sorted.
The first thing I discovered was that the batteries I’d stupidly left in it had corroded and needed to be carefully removed and disposed of. At that point I didn’t really know if the radio would even work, so I plugged it into a wall socket and stood back. For a good few seconds nothing happened, and I started thinking that the beast was dead. Then, reluctantly, I noticed a faint red light getting slowly stronger and from the speakers a faint sound of music. So, I began fiddling with the dial and volume settings until I could hear the station it’d been left on. A bit more dial turning, and I started to hear some pleasant Classical music – exactly what I needed just then. I remembered, YEARS ago, that I used to listen to a station called Classic FM and even, when working weekends setting up loads of computers at work, had my pocket radio set to that channel to help me through the day. Funnily, the other people working through the weekends called it ‘scary music’ and didn’t like it. I think they meant the opera bits.
Anyway, I thought I’d leave it on Classic FM for a while before moving on to something more modern. A little over 6 months later the dial has barely moved. Almost from the moment I get up to the moment I go to bed my house is filled with the Classics. It’s just SO relaxing! They do tend to play a lot from their Top 300 but that’s fine with me considering that I like a lot of tracks on that List – actually I think their Number One is also one of my all-time favourites – Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto number 2. It’s also nice to hear pieces that you’ve heard before – on adverts, movie soundtracks or Bugs Bunny cartoons – and finally know what they are and who composed them! Classic FM is definitely a learning experience! It also has some fantastic DJ’s (do they call them that these days – especially on a classical music station?) - my favourite of which, by far, is Alexander Armstrong who is frankly HILARIOUS and has a great radio voice.
Despite the odd spate of adverts every so often (which either get completely internalised or completely ignored) the music is pretty constant. They’re not afraid to play LONG pieces either. This isn’t classical excerpts in 3–5-minute chunks, this is entire movements or concerto’s lasting 10 or 20 minutes or longer. That’s brilliant to have in the background when you’re reading. So, on top of everything else I have a renewed LOVE of all things Classical.
2 comments:
It sounds lovely. I was never a fan of classical music until I taught history to music students. I just went back to look at the post I wrote about them. It’s been ten years! I wonder what those students are doing now. I’ve since listened to a lot more music. I tend to enjoy Vivaldi the most, but have have also been drawn to the music from Scheherazade. I went to hear the Buffalo Philharmonic orchestra perform it about four years ago when I was living in Buffalo. https://myownzen.blogspot.com/2013/11/of-brains-and-music.html
My only 'exposure' to the classics growing up was TV - adverts & such. On the radio I listened to pop stations so my classical 'education' was MUCH lacking - although my school tried its best with some very rough material!
I think I only properly started listening to classics in my late 20's after tracking down some movie excerpts I liked, especially on track from Rollerball (no, not the obvious one) which I heard being played in my local video store. I DEMANDED to know what it was and bought the CD straight away. It was Albinoni's Adagio in G which I LOVE TO DEATH. After that I was actively looking for things with the help of keen young record store minions (one of which helped my find Rachmaninov's Piano concerto No 2).
I have no idea why but I do love the sound of the piano. So (especially after knowing Tomita) I have developed a love for Debussy and Satie, and not forgetting (naturally) Mozart & Beethoven. The rest, as they say, is historical..... [grin]
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